Chapter 107: My Feelings Are Hurt
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 107: My Feelings Are Hurt
“So, what brings you here?”
“It’s about this artifact. You replaced the magic crystal for me last time, remember?”
“Right. I did.”
“I thought it would be better to swap it for one with a larger capacity.”
“Alright. Let me see it.”
I handed over the storage artifact from my pocket. Iris took it, turned it over a few times, then stood up and headed into the back. Seeing Iris walk around was strangely hard to get used to. I suppose it was because I’d only ever seen her sitting or lying down all day.
She returned a short while later, holding the ring-shaped artifact I’d given her and a long, octahedral violet crystal. It looked quite large—would that even fit in the socket?
“Iris, how much will it cost?”
“I don’t really need anything.”
“Huh? Why? You took payment last time.”
“I’ve never taken money from you. Except for the kid’s tuition.”
“Ah.”
Now that I thought about it, she was right. Even the first time she swapped the crystal in this artifact, it was in exchange for using the Umbra Valkyrie’s vision and providing information about it. Since she’d mentioned having an absurd amount of money, I wondered if she wanted a different kind of payment.
“Then is there anything you need?”
“Why?”
“I have to pay for the magic crystal. If you don’t want money, then something else.”
Iris had been using magic to remove the crystal from the ring’s socket, but she paused at my words. She set the ring down on the desk and stared at me intently.
“Is it impossible to do this without a price?”
“I’m receiving something, so you should get something in return, Iris.”
“It doesn’t always have to be that way. People who are close exchange things without expecting anything in return.”
“Well, that’s true, but… you’re the shop owner, Iris.”
“I’m quitting, then.”
“Wait, what?”
I had no idea what she was trying to say. So, because it’s natural for close people to give and take without payment, she wanted to replace the magic crystal for me for free?
“Iris, so if I say I won’t pay, you’ll do it for me?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm.”
I understood what she was getting at, but this wasn’t exactly cheap.
“How much is that magic crystal? Just in terms of its market price.”
“Twenty gold coins.”
“Hold on, I can’t just take something that expensive for free. Even close friends don’t do that.”
“Then?”
“Hmm…”
This was a dilemma. The price was too high to just accept it happily. Twenty gold coins—wasn’t that more expensive than an Umbra Valkyrie’s eyeball?
“Iris. Do you like sweets?”
“Why?”
“Then as payment for this, I’ll buy some treats and bring them over later.”
“…Fine.”
“Oh.”
So Iris knew how to smile. Last time she ‘smiled,’ her face hadn’t even twitched. She had such a pretty face; why was she always so expressionless? She looked much better with even a hint of a smile.
Something like a mysteriously dark rose stem emerged from the tip of her right index finger and began shaving the crystal down until it was small enough to fit into the ring’s socket.
After removing the old crystal and inserting the new one, Iris recited a magical incantation and handed the ring back.
“It’s done.”
“How much more can it hold now?”
The ring had a clean silver base. The magic crystal, which had been red before, was now violet. It was fascinating; it had been a fairly large crystal, but she’d shaved off nearly ninety percent of it, embedding only the small core into the ring.
I guess that didn’t matter?
“I’m not sure.”
“You had a rough idea last time. Why don’t you know this time?”
“I bought it a long time ago. I don’t remember well.”
“It’s not going to fail to work or anything, right?”
“It shouldn’t. Probably.”
Well, she did say it was a twenty-gold-coin magic crystal. At the very least, it should hold significantly more than the 1.5-gold-coin one. I felt a bit bad for always being on the receiving end, but I figured I could pay her back later.
“Thanks, Iris.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“What’s with that reaction?”
She didn’t look the type, but she was actually acting shy. She crossed her arms and snapped her head to the side—a classic display of bashfulness.
“Iris? I said thanks.”
“I heard you. Just go.”
“Ha, wow. How interesting.”
* * *
Since I was already in the Northeast, I took the opportunity to browse the equipment shops, which were incomparably more expensive than those in the Southwest.
“This is impressive.”
It was a Slinger—a device attached to the forearm that fired a grappling hook to latch onto terrain for rapid movement or to pull an opponent toward you. As is often the case with such things, I wondered how such a small device could generate enough rotational force to pull a grown man.
The answer, of course, was magic. They had engraved a high-torque rotation spell onto a rare metal called Etheraite, which amplifies magical effects.
Naturally, it seemed to be worth its high price, as many people were buying them. I was a bit tempted myself. I could become Spider-Man! Of course, I didn’t want it for such a childish reason; it just looked useful.
“Fifty-five gold coins. Figures.”
After looking around, there wasn’t any equipment I felt a desperate need to buy right away. Things like telescopes were reasonably priced and seemed high-quality, but the problem was that I didn’t really need a telescope. The area was swarming with explorers, most of them in parties or at least pairs.
Above all, why were there so many couples? It was making me bitter.
I hurried out of the equipment shop and looked up at the sky; the sun was already beginning to set. Perhaps because it was late May, the days felt longer. Two months ago, the streetlights would have been flickering on by now, and the sky would have been pitch black.
The Mounted Goat Inn felt like home now. The city of Calax, which I thought I’d never get used to, was now quite familiar, and the Southwest district in particular felt like my own neighborhood.
It was a world away from two months ago, when I knew no one and spent all day in the Labyrinth, only to return to the inn and collapse onto my bed to recover.
Thinking back to when I almost died to those Direwolves… it still sends a chill down my spine.
“Looks like there are quite a few guests.”
I could hear the noise from inside the Mounted Goat Inn even from a distance. I heard Tresha’s busy footsteps as she ran around, and the sound of Auntie Marta silently but vigorously tossing a wok in the kitchen.
I also heard Sera’s voice as she handed finished dishes to Tresha. When I stepped inside, sure enough, the place was packed.
“Ah, Brother! Welcome back!”
“Hey, Tresha. You look busy.”
“I’m super busy! Go help Sister quickly!”
“Right, I got it.”
It seemed Sera had cleared up Tresha’s misunderstanding a few days ago. Thinking that just kissing makes a baby in your stomach—that was a terrifying thought. Tresha, who had been shouting about babies and whatnot, had finally quieted down.
‘What’s that?’
As I scanned the first-floor dining area, a strangely familiar back caught my eye. A small frame with voluminous red hair that covered her entire upper body from behind. And for some reason, she looked a bit disheveled.
“Ravi?”
“Mmph! Oh-ho-ho!”
“You’re asking if I’m here? Yes, I am. Finish what you’re eating before we talk.”
For some reason, Ravi was here as a guest. I asked her what was up, but she chewed the meat in her mouth for a long time before finally swallowing and speaking.
“The, the food here is delicious… and I kept thinking about the bed….”
“Right? Since you always sleep on that hard cot, Ravi.”
“A bed that’s too soft isn't good for skeletal health! That cot is very health-friendly!”
“Then are you going to sleep on that cot today too?”
“N-No, that’s not it… It’s good to sleep on a soft bed once in a while….”
In any case, Ravi Sateria was here as a guest today. I heard she’d even closed the appraisal office to come here, which was actually perfect. I’d have to ask her to check my skill circuits later tonight before bed.
I poked my head into the kitchen to greet Auntie Marta and Sera, and I also dragged Father, who was sprawled out asleep in the second-floor hallway, and tossed him into Sera’s room. Father usually slept with Auntie Marta, but since I’d never been in their room, I figured Sera would take care of him if I left him in hers.
* * *
“Phew… I’m so full….”
“You seem satisfied.”
“Ahem…! I don’t usually eat this much at this hour…!”
The other explorers who had rented rooms had either gone out for a walk or had already gone up to the second floor and locked their doors. Ravi remained in the first-floor dining area, patting her bulging stomach.
“Sister, then what do I do about this?”
“Ah, for this one, the trigger circuit has to be drawn last….”
Tresha, who had gained quite a bit of magical knowledge, and Ravi seemed to get along well.
“Ravi, if you don’t mind, could you take a look at my body now?”
“Huh? O-Oh, alright! A skill check, then?”
“That, and I need you to look at my actual body too.”
At those words, Sera, who had been drying dishes nearby, flinched. she stared at Ravi and me, then set the dish down on the desk and began listening intently.
“Hmm, the skill is on your back, so it’s a bit inconvenient to see here. Shall we go to the bed?”
“Can’t be helped. Let’s go to my room.”
And so, I started heading up to the second floor with Ravi to check the skill…
“W-Wait a minute! I want to see too… is that okay?!”
“You too, Sera? I don’t see why not.”
“Ah! Then me too! Don’t leave me behind!”
“Well, I mean… if you want to see, you can come.”
In the end, I headed to my room with Sera, Ravi, and Tresha. I’d even brought along Walter, who had been sleeping soundly, so the cramped single room was bursting at the seams.
“Now, please take off your shirt and lie face down on the bed!”
“Y-You’re taking off your shirt?!”
Sera gasped at the instruction.
“Yes! Aven’s skill is on his back! Skills manifest on the body, so he has to take his clothes off, right?”
“I-I see….”
“Didn’t you know, Sister? I already knew!”
Sera wasn't an explorer, so it made sense she wouldn't know. I took off my shirt and lay face down on the bed. Ravi approached and placed her small hand on my back.
“A-Are you going to touch him too?!”
“Ah, this is a process to reveal the circuits. I need a connection to transmit mana, right?”
“Mmm….”
As usual, the mana circuits that started from the spine and branched out across the entire body were revealed. Ravi patted my back and spoke.
“There! They’re visible. Is there anything you feel has changed specifically?”
“Ah, it’s this.”
I peeled back the skin on my back, split the latissimus dorsi muscles, and pulled out the arms I’d recently fashioned at the Lymain workshop. Thanks to practicing with them whenever I was idle lately, I was fairly used to moving them.
Still, they weren't as good as the originals. They were just imitations of human anatomy made from organs taken from other creatures.
“Ugh.”
“Huh?”
“E-E-Eeeek!!! P-Put them away, quickly!!!!”
Sera was covering Tresha’s eyes, and Tresha was covering Ravi’s. Meanwhile, Walter had spread his wings to cover Sera’s eyes, and they were all sitting in a row.
“G-Gross! What on earth did I just see, Brother?!”
“Aven… what in the world is that horrible thing…?!”
“Oh.”
Now, that actually hurts my feelings…